I decided to write this article in response to the endless criticism that is being directed against the “Stop Snitching” movement by critics claiming that Hip Hop is responsible for the “Stop Snitching” movement and the “Us vs. Them” mentality youth of color have towards law enforcement agencies. As a former gang member and street combatant of the drug wars that dominated the streets of Philly in the late 80’s and a member of the generation that came of age listening to Hip Hop I believe I am qualified to offer a frontline perspective from the other side of the issue, especially as one who was sentenced to life without parole as a juvenile because of the testimony of a snitch co-defendant that was close to 10 years older than I.

To mark the 5th anniversary of the U.S. invasion into Iraq, Harvard Law students from the group Unbound, HLS Peace, Justice for Palestine, and the National Lawyers' Guild sponsored a three-day lecture series called Confronting Empire: Five Years of War with Iraq. The third day, March 19, fell on the actual anniversary date, and the lecture this day was called "US Foreign Policy and Intervention in the Middle East." It featured Irene Gendzier, Boston University Professor and Author of "Notes from the Minefield: United States Intervention in Lebanon and the Middle East," and Howard Zinn, historian and author of "A People's History of the United States."

From March 13-16th, U.S. veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan will testify to what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground in these occupations. The four-day event will bring together veterans from across the country to testify about their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan - and present video and photographic evidence. In addition, there will be panels of scholars, veterans, journalists, and other specialists to give context to the testimony. These panels will cover everything from the history of the GI resistance movement to the fight for veterans' health benefits and support.

PUBLIC AIRING IN BOSTON: March 14, UMass, Campus Center 3rd Floor, 3 Point Lounge, 9:00am - 12:00am; and March 15, Harvard Square in Cambridge at the First Parish Church from 10:00 am through 6:00 p.m.
LIVE RADIO BROADCAST: March 14-16, Pacifica Radio, http://pacifica.org/. AUDIO ARCHIVES: http://www.warcomeshome.org/
LOCAL TV BROADCAST: Somerville Community TV, Channel 3, FRI-1:00pm-4:30pm, 5:00pm-6:00pm, SAT-3:00pm-5:00pm, 8:00pm-9:00pm (FSTV)
LIVE WEBCAST: http://ivaw.org

In the United States, there has developed an enthusiastic movement of support for the Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama. Besides the large forces he appeals to, especially among young adults, he is overwhelmingly supported by the left: liberals, social democrats, and Stalinists. I appreciate the movement-like aspect of his popular support, yet I personally will not vote for him.

Ella Baker, who was born in North Carolina in 1905, was politicized and radicalized by the poverty of the Great Depression. She participated in self-help programs throughout the 30s and developed an understanding and respect for the process by which people take control over their own lives while also protesting injustices.

[This is an excerpt from an essay written by Chris Crass on organizing lessons to be learned from the life long revolutionary organizing work of Ella Baker.]

The 11th Annual Homelessness Marathon, a 14-hour national radio dialogue on poverty and housing in the US, will take place Wednesday night to Thursday morning, February 20-21. Originating this year in Nashville, the Marathon is a live, outdoor, broadcasting event featuring homeless people, advocates for the homeless and call-ins from the public. A broadcast booth is set up outside, with open mics for people who are out on the street in Nashville that night. The Marathon does not raise money for charity. Its mission is to raise consciousness, by covering a broad range of topics, speaking with experts, taking calls from around the country, and above all, by putting homeless people on the air directly.

Boston, Mass.—Hundreds of thousands around the world will join forces tomorrow, January 26, 2008, for a historical celebration of social movements and social justice as they take action locally on the Global Day of Action called forth during the World Social Forum (http://wsf2008.net/). People all over the world will hold talks, demonstrations, concerts, vigils, and many other creative ways of resistance to clamor “another world is possible.”

In the Greater Boston area, the Global Day of Action launched last weekend with a Winter Soldier event organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War and their supporters, followed today by an immigration rally organized by the Boston May Day Coalition, and a People’s Music Winter Gathering tonight that seeks “to promote progressive ideas and transform ourselves and our communities through music to bring about a better world.” Other activities include an event to challenge the Free Trade Agreement in Colombia, two demonstrations in support of Palestinians, and a talk about human rights in Haiti.

On January 6, 2007 18-year-old Amber Abreu went to the hospital in Lawrence, Massachusetts after trying to terminate a pregnancy by taking a drug, misoprostol, which is an ulcer medication as well as a key component of the abortion pill RU-486. Amber was between 23 and 25 weeks pregnant. The result was a miscarriage. The doctors rushed the 1-1/4 pound expelled fetus to the Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, where it remained alive for four days. The police, meanwhile, went after Amber using an archaic law dating back to the 1840s to charge her with “procuring a miscarriage.” Cops dragged Abreu into court in shackles and then held her in the state’s maximum security prison at Framingham for three nights until friends and relatives could come up with $15,000 bail. The young woman, a recent immigrant from the Dominican Republic, faces up to seven years in jail on this outrageous charge.